Charming and hidden sites of Segovia

Posted on 19/04/2016

Around the city of Madrid there are many other very interesting cities well worth visiting in terms of art and cultural heritage. Some of them are World Heritage sites such as the one we’ve just visited: Segovia.

They are not very big in terms of population and size, and as a result of being so close to Madrid, there are thousands of tourists, especially students and teenagers, that make a round trip in one day to Segovia (or Toledo, or Avila) in a rush. The aqueduct, cathedral and Alcázar form a kind of check-list. They are great and stunning places, but they are not all that there is to see. You can still discover more beauty, but never in a hurry.

Our visit was focused on industrial heritage, such as The Royal Mint of Segovia, which you can read more information about here

We had a great visit with a very friendly guide, José, and had a lot of fun reflecting not only about the history of the coins but about how the new museology helps the public understand the exhibition ( both the permanent or the temporary one ) . It is a great space and an interesting building with a great promenade by the side of Eresma river.

After leaving the Royal Mint you can walk close to the river and find the Carmelite friar house and the tomb of Saint Johnof the Cross, one of the most important saints and writers in the history of Spain.

Then to the La Fuencisla, where you can experience the majesty and superb atmosphere of baroque decorations

Continuing with industrial heritage, we visited Museo Zuloaga, an old church converted into a ceramic factory at the beginning of the XX century. The artist Daniel Zuloaga bought it and not only made it into a factory and office, but also a house. Here you can see the bathroom is decorated in a very original way, isn’t it?

The museum is not opened daily because there is not enough money to afford it. A pity. If only half of the people that arrive to Segovia weekly would like to visit it! But they don’t know it exists! What can we do to avoid forgetting our culture?

Regarding ceramic and Zuloaga, we had an informal talk about artists, (painters, writers ) from the end of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX. They are known as “Generation of 98.” The talk was around the charming fireplace you can see in this picture. It looks like scenery from a film , doesn’t it?

So if you want to visit Spain, definitely come, but please don’t run, walk!!! There are beautiful sites waiting for you !